first, meteorologis t kaj o'mara has your firststalert forecast, kajj. plan on another wet day, though the rain will not be as steady and may be more of a drizzle than anything today. our temperatures will slowly fall through the day with readings settling into the 45-49 range for the afternoon. gusty southwest wind is likely to 30mph at times. plan on a dry and windy thursday with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potential in the area. the temperatures will be cool enough for snow to occur, but the bigger uncertainty remains how much moisture there is to work with. there y be several inches of snow on the ground by saturday morning in then only re- enforce the colder air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv9 for updates on friday's system as we get closer and the overall confidence insnowfall amounts increases. the variety compassion fund nefits critically ill children & &their familii by providing comfort, care such as; a gas card for frequent travel to appointments meals for a parent who spends weeks at the hospital payment of immediate bills such as phone, heat or electricity a birthdhdy cake for a child who will spend their special day in a hospital bed care for siblings when parents need to stay with their ill child caring for a critically ill child is difficult; mentally, emotionally and financially. the compassion fund allows front line social workers to identify needs and distribute funds immediately, providing much needed relief for families. "the compassion fund enabled us to provide as2 safe emvironment for our new baby. we used the money to paysome bills and put a deposit oo an apartment. it helped to take a huge burden off our shoulders when we were already feeling down from all of the time my husband had to take off work. the timing of the gift made things a little easier during our long stay in the nicu." becky tune in to 93.1 kmry & crg tv9 november 17 anan18 to give the gift of compassion to children and families at mercy medical center & unitypoint health - st. luke's 378-6400. every donation large and small helps provide relief and hope to familes seeking care. for evvy donation of $ $00 or more, variety will gift a teddy bear in your name to a hospitalized child this holiday season. coming up in the next half hour, i will introduce you to a family who needed the compassion fund. guys back to you. tv-9's fund radiothon. thanks a lot. thes morning, twosuspects are dead--a man and a woman,, and seven more are in custody afttr standoff with police in paris. the woman was wearing an explosive vest. and four officers are hurt during the raid at an apartment north of paris where they think the mastermind of the last week'k' attacks was staying. a senior french police official said abdelhamid abaaoud might be inside an apartment in saint-denis with 5 other people. police evacuated the other people in the building and brought them to citt hall for otection. police stormed the building and met and witnesses say they heard at least 7 explosions from the scene. this raid follows the attacks last friday in paris that killed 129 p pople. an iowa woman is trying to appeal to lawmakers to help her daughter who suffers from frequent epileptic seizures. so she took it to the nation's capitol. sally gaer , along with moms from across the country, are trying to get congress to pass a bill that would allow more access to cannabis oil. the group of moms is meeting with congressiona l members and urging them to take action before 20101. that bill amends the controlled substances act to exclude cannabidiol rich plants from the definition of marijuana. it would als exempt these plants from treatment as a controlled substance. gaer says she won't stop until she gets the support she needs. cannabis oil is known to reduce seizures. gaer's 25 year old daughter, margaret hs the cognitive abilities of a four year old. and she is at high risk for sudden death due to epilepsy. "its an education piece. it's a binine substance no body can get high off of it its like oh. this isn't the scary evil thing we thout it was. " gaer has met with nearly every presidential candidate in des moines and says she's received good feedback from most of them. right now, iowa is one of 17 states that have laws allowing limititd use of a marijuana product for medical purposes. iowa's law says people can possess cannabis oil and use it for treatment of severe epilepsy. but those people cannot produce or transport the oil in our state. some democratic presidential candidates are chiming in on the medical marijuana debate. bernie sanders says he would take a similar approach to the bill that iowan sally gaer is fighting forr he would like to remove the drug from the controlled substances act. whereas hillary clinton says she would like the government to reclassify the drug to allow more federally sponsored research on its effecec. and republican front runner donald trump would like marijuana legalization to be a state issue. he wants medical marijuana to be available to people that need it to help th an illness. the american ed cross is warning people to be careful when using space heaters and fireplaces during the winter months. the group says heating sources are the second leadingcause of home fire deaths. ththred cross seeving greater iowa ays it responded to fifteen home fires since last friday. it says heating equipment is the second leading cause of fire deaths. the organization wants to remind hoho owners to give a space heater enough space wherever you put it in your home. "if you have a space heater within your home make sure to give the space heater, space. keep your children, pets, anything that is flammable at least three feet away from a space heater." the red cross urges everyone to take two simple steps. check smoke alarms and practice fire drills at home. someone is passing counterfeit bills in coralville, and police are asking for your help in finding them. coralville police say they want to question this woman about counterfeit bills passed at hyvee on 8th street last thursday. they say she was seen driving a light colored s-u-v. if you have information, call police. or you can call crime stoppers at 358-8477. casino revenue will help provide thousands of dollars to nine projects in the waterloo- cedar falls area. the money is from the black hawk county gaming association, which licenses the isse casino in waterloo. state law requires the county gaming association to allocate some of the casino revenue it receives to the community. some of the projects the gaming association funds inccude... 150- thousand dollars for a new video scoreboard at riverfront stadium in waterloo. sumner will get 50- thousand dollars toward a new emergency services facility. and cedar falls will l et 25-thousand dollars to help renovate classrooms at the hearst center. just last year, a 23 million sportsplex opened in waterloo. 8 million dollars for that project came from thhblack hawk county gaming association. if you've walked past greene square in cedar rapids lately, you probably noticed some big changes. construction workers started transforming the space in june. the parks and recreation department says construction fences should come down december 1st. benches, lighting, the installtion of a fountain and concrete work are finished. sodding work and tree planting will be happen this year based on weather. there will be a ribbon cutting event in the spring where the city will open the time capsule t tat was uncovered during construction. cedar rapids will not demolish a building that sustained a lot of damage in the 2008 flood. e city council voted to spend more than 160- thousand dollaas to stabilii the vacant knutson building. the 128-year-old structure sits on the riverfront across downtown. million dollars for renovations through prprvate fundraising. high-def televisions are getting better and better. but they could be boosting your energy bill higher. and wal-mart is offering a phone for just 10 bucks. that story is intoday's tech bytete. plan on another wet day, though the rain will not be as steady and may be more of a drizzle than anything today. our temperatures will slowly fall through the day with readings settling into the 45-49 rarae for the affrnoon. gusty southwest wind is likly to 30mph attimes. plan on a dry and windy thursday with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potenenial in the area. the temperatures will be cool enough for snow to occur, but the bigger uncertainty remains how much moisture there is to work with. there may be several inches of snow on the ground by saturday morning in then only re- enforce the colder air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv9 for updates on friday's system as we get closer and the overall confidence in snowfall amounts increases. now here'' abc's reena nnan and kendis gibson with this morning's tec "techbytes" a potential down side tohihi-definition tv. >> four case set use more power than regular high-def model. >> reporter: higher demand could push energy bills up to more than a billiononollars a yeye. walmart changing the smart yn phone game with lower prices. >> they're only available with prepaid service from tracphone. >> can check out "good morning america's" ongoing 40 for 40 live.streaming event. >> one direction helped kick the echbls off. two more days to go. >> want to survive a crazy busy day? sfx: cell phone chimes start with a positive attitude... and positivelyadiant skin. aveeno pososively radiantmoisisrizer... with active naturals soy. aveeno naturally beautiful results . i'm here at my house, on thanksgiving day and i have a massive heart attack right in my drivivay. the doctor put me on a bayer aspirin regimen. be sure to talk to your doctor before you begin an aspirin regimen. go talk to your doctor. you're not destructible anymore. energy. focus. help turn your potential... into reality. start evererday with milk's grams of high-quality protein. new this morning, the hunt for the suspected mastermind of the paris terror attacks has intensified. police have surrounded an apartment building not far from where the deadly attacks started looking for abdelhamid abaaoud. abc's kenneth moton has the latest. police on the ground in a paris suburb...residents old to stay inside. sot - "we just want to be safe" investigators confirmed the fluid scene is related to the deadly isis terror attacks in the city and the suspected mastermind abdelhamid abaaoud. it was believed he had made his way back into syria but now policeare working to confirm whether he's hiding out in an apararment not far from the stadium where friday night's attack began. nat there have been more than 100 raids throughout the city and as police hunt for another armed and dangerous suspect salah abdeslam. nat the us, france and russia have teamed up striking iyis targets in syria. russian president vladidiir putin vowed revenge after it was confirmed isis used a bomb to down this russian passenger plane over egypt killing 24 people. herere at home overnight, two air france flights bound for paris...one from la, the other from dc...were diverted after anonymous bomb threats were called in. passengers were evacuated and the planes were swept but police found nothing. the us is on high alert but europe is s n edge....major sporting events cancelled over heightened fears. in germany, a hanover becauseeof a bomb threat. nat but in england, prince william lead a show of solidarity before a soccer match against france...80 thousand englishmen sang france's national anthem. french investigators say 5 eople were arrested in that paris suburb, 3 from an apartment but we do not know their identities or what role, if any they're uspected of playing i i the terrorist attacks. before police moved in, they say a female suicide bomber set off her belt...she died on the scene. kenneth moton, abc news washington. police in one eastern iowa city will soon wear body cameras on patrol. the city council just approved buying 50 cameras to help keep officers and the community safe. meteorologist kaj o'mara will be back right after the break with a look at your wednesday forecast. stay with us. meteorologist kaj o'mara joins plan on another wet day, though the rain wilil not be as sseady and may be more of a drizzle than anything today. our temperatures will slowly fall through the day with readings settling into the 45-49 range for the afternoon. gusty southwest winnis likely too 30mph at times. plan on a dry and windy thursday with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potential in the area. the temperatures will be cool enough for snow to occur, but the bigger uncertainty remains how much moisture there is to work with. there may be several inches of snow on the ground by saturday morning in some communities, which will then only re- enforce the coller air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv9 for updates on friday's system as we get closer and the overall confidence in snowfall amounts increases. thanks, kaj. one high school in dubuque seeing some major traffic changes. officials say the changes will make dismissal time safer for students. stay with good wednesday mororning. this is a live look at the kmry compassion fund radio-thon. we'll check in with kaj and forrest there in just a few. first, it's november 18th and this is what you need to know today two suspeccs are dead and seven in custody afterr a raid in a paris suburb... authorities are still searching for the mastermind of the terrorist attacks. hundreds of county leaders from around the state will meet in cedar rapids today to vote on legislative priorities for the year. one iowa mom lobbies legislators in washington, d-c to legalize cannabis oil on behalf of her daughter who struggles with epileptic seizures. the american red cross wants people to be careful when using space heaterssuring the winter as they can lead to an increased risk in house fires. and some parents in cedar rapids are concerned about the school distct's new grading system and what it could mean for studentnt applying for college. you're watchiig kcrg-tv9. now, from your 24 hour news source, this is kcrg-tv9 news morning news. first, meteorologis t kaj o'mara has your first alert forecast, kaj... plan on another wet day, though the rain will not be as steady and may be more of a drizzle than anything today. our temperatures will slowly fall through the day with readings settling into the 45-49 range for the afternoon. gusty southwest wind is likely to 30mph at times. plan on a dry and windy thurssay with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potential in the area. the temperatures will be cool uncertainty remains how much moisture there is tooork with. there may be several inches of snow on the ground by saturday morning in some communities, which will then only re- enforce the colder air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv9 for updates on friday's system as we get closer and the overall confidence in snowfall amounts increases. thth morning, two o uspects are dead --a man and a woman, and seven more are in custody after standoff with police in paris. the woman was wearing this morning, two suspects are dead - a man and a woman, and seven more are in custody after standoff with police )n paris. the woman was wearing an explosive vest. and four officers a ae hurt during the raid at an apartment north of paris where they think the mastermind of the last week's attacks was staying. a senior french police official said abdelhamid abaaoud might be inside an apartmenn in saint-denis with 5 other people. police evacuated the other people in the building and brought them to city hall for protection. police stormed the building and met resistance and exchanged some gunfire. and witnesses s ay they heardrdt least 7 explosions from the scene. this raid follows the attacks last friday in paris that killed 129 people. marion police officers will soon be weariig body cams onnatrol. the city council has approved buying 50 body cameras for the police department. the cameras will cost 15- thousand dollars and will come from provision video systems. this is video of similar cameras that the asbury and waterloo police departments already use. about 800 county leaders from around the state will be in cedar rapids today. they'll be attending the iowa state associationonof counties, or "isac," fall conference. one of the main goals is to vote on legislative priorities. isac works in des moines during the legislative session by getting information to lawmakers, and connecting them with county officials. every year, isac puts together a list of legislative priorities. this year they'll be focusing on five main issues: delinquent court debt, e- 911 funding, fod safety,,mental health and diiability services, and distracted driving. isac's executive director says a bill that would have changed distracted driving into a primary offense got left behind during the 2015 session..they'd like to see it get picked up again. "47:54-:12 "we'd like to change the law related to distracted driving to make those primary offenses, so that a police officer or sheriff's deputy or state patrol officer could stop those individuals if they see them in that action." as for the mental health and disability services item... peterson says counties are struggling to find adequate funding to help individuals with mental health issues. he hopes to help counties find funding for thoss services. 0:57-:14 "the number of individuals that have mental health problems that end up in our jails because of a lack of appropriate places for them to go to receive services, you can talk to any county sheriff in the state of iowa and it is a significant this morning. members will approve the packet of legislative prioritts tomorrow. they'll then start talking with the governor and lawmakers to address those issues. says he's blessed to have had the opportuniniy to run for president, but this is not his time to run. "00:12-27 it's been a great honor to run for the president of the united states. this is a great country. my parents came here 45 years ago in search for opportunity and freedom. ththy taught me americans can do ananthing. they are right. the reality is this isn't my time so i'm suspending my campaign. " governor jindal joined the race in june. since then, he's been consissently low in the polls. jindal wraps up his term as governor in january and says he will go back to working for the think tank he started afew years ago. some people who drive to and from senior high school in dubuque say the trafficcpatterns need to change. right away, the district plans to create a 380 foot bus lane that will run parallel to clarke drive, which should be done before next schoil year. officials say the current iss crcrss traffic pattern makes dismissal dangerous for students. during a planning meeting of the senior high school core group, members discussed the safest and most effective way to improve trafffc flow around the school. as parrof the school's total renovation project, the new main entrance will face west locust street rather than clarke drive. they say that new entrance and the new bus lane will change the after school traffic dynamic. "we h hve buses that are leaving the sccool to take kids home. we have public transportation buses across the street and several parents who are picking up their kids as well as student in the upper and lower parking lots. " he city of dubuque recently conducted a speed survey of vehicles traveling on clarke drive and locust streets. the survey revealed the majority of drivers were going between 33 and 36 miles per hour in 25 mile mile per hour zone. having a seriously sick child not only`drains your energy but can also drain your bank account. variety - he children's charity, is working with kcrg-tv9 and k-m-r-y radio to raise money for a compassion fund. this morning you can call 319-378-6400 to donate money to the compassion fund. the fund benefits critically ill children and their families by giving them things such as a gas card, meals, or money to pay immediate bills. scrg-tv9's forrest saunders is live at m-r-y studios in cedar rapids. forrest, how is it going out there? we all need some help from time to time. that's why this fund is here. year.her twins, gabriel and nora were born in december, 17 weeks early. both kids faced a potentially deadly situation because their bodies were so under developed. "anywhere from brain bleeds to problems with thfir heart to their lungs, was the main thing t first."doctors haha to keep a close eye on the twins. gabriel spent four and a half months in the nicu. nora, who was having those brain bleeds, spent five and a half. "it's very scary. your whole world seems to stop when somemeing like that happens." adding to the ackerss's troubles, limited income. emily had to leave her job as nurse to be with her kids. plus, the couple's home was in cedar falls, more than 0 their children, recovering in a cedar rapids hospital. "we put on 27,000 miles." with all the bad, it was time for some good. the compassion fund was there to hehep the ackersons make ends meet. it took care of bills and fille up ther vehicles with gas. the fund works by giving social workers and care providers a debit card hooked to an account that can provide famili with sick kids with emergency funds when they need it. "the compassion fund was really built for reason, to help the families in need within a certain area. this yea it benefits st. luke's and mercy here in cedar rapids."for emily and her family, t te future is bright. both kids are doing well and finances are back in the green. "the fund wasn't just want to donate and help families like the ackersons? call this number 319- 378-6400. cong up in the next half hour, we will talk with an owganizer of the telethon. guys back to you. tv-9's forrest saunders at the campassion fund telethoho. thanks a lot. the long-time mayor of one eastern iowa city has some big new this morninn he's endorsing his competettor in the upcoming run-off election. up next... this morning's weather wise question. meteorologist kaj o'mara is up right after the break. first alert storm team meteorologist kaj o'mara joins us now. plan on another wet day, though the rain will not be as steady and may be more of a drizzle than anything today. our temperaturek will slowly fall through the day with readingng settling iito the 45-49 range for the afternoon. gusty southwest wind is likely to 30mph at times. plan on a dry and windy thursday with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potential in the area. the temperatures will be cool enough for snow to occur, but the bigger uncertainty remains how much moisture there is to work with. there may be several inches of snow on the grounddby some communities, whichwill then only re- enforce the colder air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv9 for updates on friday's system as we get closer and the overall confidence in snowfall amounts increases. some eastern iowa parents are worried about their students' grades. and it stems back to the school district and the changes it's making to iis grading system. that and more still to come on tv-9. stay with us. parents are concerned over a system the cedar rapids school district plans to implement in all schools. the system eliminates traditional letter grades in favoof standards- based grading. right now, all cedar rapids elementary schools use this learner-centered model. and roosevelt and mckinley middle hools are pioting the scale. at these schools, daily homework isn't included in gradede and studenn can re-take tests until they've mastered a standard. instead of receiving a traditional letter grade - students either exceed, me, are working on, or haven't been taught a ncept. some arents are concerned how this will affect high school students filling out college applications. 09:21:36 "a large section of the world, if you will, thinks about grading through a certain lens. and if we are going to change how we grade our high schoolers it is important that maps to the broader context." several more meetings are set up over the next mooth. for more information, the outgoing mayor of cedar falls is endorsing his challenger in next month's run-off election. on november third, mayor jon crews reccived 35 percent of the votes in a three man race. businessman jim brown received 45 percent of the votes. neither candidate got the necessary 50 percent to secure the position. after the election, crews announced plans to step down from the position, but his name will still be on the run-off ballot. crews says people should vote for brown on december first, calling him an excellent caidate who will lead the city for years to come. an eastern iowa man will be in court today on charges of a hate crime after beating a black man at a dubuque bar. federal authorities arrested 40-year-old randy metcalf yesterday.olice suspect the felon has ties to a white supremacist grrp. a criminal ffidavit alleges that metcalf repeatedly kicked and stomped on the face and head of a black man during a fight in january. it also says metcalf used racial slurs during the beating. metcalf has a violent criminal history. he has one tattoo of a swastika and one of a prison gang known for white supremacist ties. the department of transportation is holding a public forum tonight to talk about proposed interchange on i-380 near north liberty. the proposed 18-million dollar interchange would be located at forevergreen road and interstate 380. that's about two miles north of i-80. this also will include improvements along forevergreen road. tonight's meeting is at the north liberty recreation center at 5 o'clock. the d-o-t first presented the plan to the north liberty city council at the begining of september. transportation leaders say the project would helel with traffic flow as more people move to the north liberty, tiffin and coralville area. now here's our morning mugshot on your wednesday. it's "a christmas story" the musical at theatrr cedar rapids. your favorite christmas movie has been re-wrapped as a broadway musical! a christmas story: the musical opens november 20th. it's all here: ralphie, randy, the leg lamp, meatloaf, the flpole, pink bvnny pajamas, and all your favorites rom this holiday the whole family will enjoy. groups, students and youth discounts are available. you can buy tickets at theatre c-r dot org. kaj will be back right after the break with a final look at your here's what you need to know as you head out he door n your wednesday. paris police say two suspects are dead this morning and seven arrested after a raid in a paris suburb. they were looking for the suspected mastermind in the terrorist attacks that killed more than one hundred people in the city. about 800 county leaders from aroun the state will be e cedar rapidd today for the iowa state association of counties, or "isac," fall conference. they will vote on legislative priorities. this year they'll focus on five main issues: deinquent court debt, e- 911 funding, food d afety, mental health and disability services, and distracted driving. and tv-9 is partnering with k-m-r-y and variety, the children's charity, for a radiothon for the compassion fund. the money will help families wiih childree in the hospital cover expenses not covered by insurance. you can call 319-378-6400 to donate until 6:30 tonight. now, one last look at this mornjng's weather, kaj... plan on ather wet day, tugh the rain will not be as steady and may be more of a drizzle than anythingngtoday. our temperatures will slowly fall through the day with readings settling into the 45-49 range for the afternoon. gusty southwest wind is likely to 30mph at times. plan on a dry and windy thursday with highs into the 40s. we are still watching friday afternoon and especially friday night carefully for snowfall potential in the area. the temperattes will be cool enough for snow to occur, but the bigger uncertainty remains how much moisture there is to work with. there may be several inches of snow on the ground by saturday morning in some communities, which will then only re- enforce the colder air for the weekend. stay tuned to kcrg-tv99or updates on friday's system as we e et closer and the overall confidence in snowfall amounts increases. thanks, kaj we certainly hope your is off to a good start. good morning america is next.